


Wolf Ears

by afewreelthoughts



Series: (Renly x Robb modern au, title forthcoming) [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 11:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16491383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afewreelthoughts/pseuds/afewreelthoughts
Summary: Robb attends a Halloween party and learns some things about his new friend.





	Wolf Ears

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing and make no money from this. Everything belongs to George R.R. Martin.

He had turned down Theon’s offer to go attend his fraternity’s party on Halloween. “The whole team will be there!” Theon had said, gesturing wildly with his empty beer bottle.

“Remember what happened  _last_ time I drank with you and the team?” Robb said.

“Last time?” Theon blinked. “Last time was  _nothing_. What do you think a wild party  _looks like_ , Robb Stark?”

Robb had rolled his eyes. “Does it matter?”

“Yeah it does. You’re at college and you’ve never been to a real party? That you  _enjoyed_?”

“I’m not going to this one,” Robb said. He knew Halloween got crazy and all he really wanted to do was eat candy and watch a scary movie he’d regret later that night. His roommate was out, and he had the room to himself - that was reason enough to celebrate. Besides, Halloween had always been a family event when he was growing up. Getting wildly drunk tonight would feel wrong. Theon had brought him a couple of beers, and he’d had them as they talked, but he honestly didn’t want any more. “I don’t wanna drink anymore.”

“Then at l _east_ go out  _somewhere_ ,” Theon said, rising to his feet and picking up his empty beer bottles. “Go to the lame party in the student commons for all I care, but  _something_  other than staying in your room all night!”

“Okay,” Robb said, opening the door for him. “I’ll try.”

Theon walked backwards down the hallway and shouted, “You better! My best friend can’t be lame!”

Going to a Halloween party without a costume felt wrong, so Robb fished out the fuzzy wolf ears Sansa had made him for last year’s family group costume and a denim jacket before leaving with the intention of just going for long enough that he could tell Theon that yes, he’d been out on Halloween.

The party was in full swing by the time Robb arrived, still a little buzzed from the beer, so he went straight to the alcohol-free punch and cookies and scanned the crowd for anyone he might know.

He noticed Brienne first, standing at the side of the room with Jaime, both in matching shiny costumes meant to look like chain mail. She waved him over. “Hey, glad to see you out tonight.”

“Theon said I had to leave my room. Is that a rule?”

Brienne shrugged. “It’s nice to get out once in a while.”

Robb noticed that Jaime hadn’t let go of her hand. He leaned against the wall next to them and looked out over the crowd for who else he recognized. There was Jeyne and Arys and Arianne and Renly, in a tall wig, half-open billowy white shirt, and tight, high-waisted pants. Robb felt like he had to take it in for a second.

He noticed Robb a moment later, and Robb told himself, as Renly walked over, that he couldn’t have seen how Robb was looking at him, it was too dark in here for that.

“Don’t tell me…” He looked Robb up and down. “Teen Wolf?”

“Like the show?” Robb said. He hadn’t seen it.

“I was thinking the movie, but sure.” Renly smiled.

“Yeah, I’ll go with that. This was just something I found in my stuff. Dunno why I brought it.”

“And…?” Renly stepped back, as if welcoming Robb to admire his costume.

“Who are you meant to be?” Robb asked.

“You never saw  _Labyrinth_  when you were a kid?”

They had rented the movie when he and Sansa were young, but she’d been frightened by the puppets and Robb had been fine with that. “Oh yeah, no I haven’t seen it, but I recognize you now!”

“I grew up on Stannis and Robert’s old VHS tapes. I watched it a million times when I was a kid.” He tilted his head to the side, the ridiculous wig tilting with it.

“You’ve heard of a VHS before?”

Robb shoved him playfully.

“Gotta leave for a minute,” Jaime murmured, not all that quietly. “I have to be drunker than this to watch Renly flirting.”

“Sad I’m not flirting with you?” Renly said.

“Shut up,” Jaime said and walked away, but not before kissing Brienne on the cheek.

“Wanna come dance?” Renly asked.

“Yeah, in a minute,” Robb said, looking down at the plate he had filled with food.

“Okay,” he grinned. “Brienne?”

“I’m good,” she said.

Renly descended into the crowd again and began dancing with Arianne, who was in a short, floaty white dress and golden laurel wreath. Greek goddess, maybe?

“You okay?” Brienne asked. “Cause I can tell him to back off.”

“Who?”

Brienne looked back over at the dancing crowd.

“You think he was flirting with  _me_?” Robb asked, and he felt his stomach flip.

“He’s friendly with everybody, usually not that flirty, but…"

Robb cleared his throat. “I don’t think he was being serious,” he said, feeling like all those words, both individually and collectively, were wrong, but he didn’t know why.

“Probably not,” Brienne said.

“Was he ever like that with you?” Robb asked her.

Brienne laughed, and it sounded almost painful. “No, no he wasn’t.”

“How do you two know each other, then?”

Robb realized that in every group setting in which he’d seen them, Renly and Brienne were always near each other, but he’d never seen the two of them talking alone.

Brienne sighed. “Well… he was one of the students mentoring my group during orientation and I thought he was sooooo handsome, and he actually looked at me and talked to me, and boys never did that in high school.” She sighed again. “I followed him around for an entire semester before I realized…” She drifted off. “You know what, I’m a little tipsy. I shouldn’t be talking about this. He’s a nice guy, really,” she said, and Robb believed her, but she said it in the tone of someone who was only saying something true to avoid saying something else even truer.

Renly waved to them both again.

“Is the whole school drunk tonight?” Robb said, just to change the subject.

“Are you?” Brienne asked.

“Not  _drunk_  but… a little buzzed,” Robb said. 

“Just forget I said anything,” Brienne said, “please.” 

“No problem.” Robb looked out over the dance floor, and he drank his punch and ate his cookies and went back to his dorm room to watch a scary movie like he’d planned from the start. 


End file.
